Death caused by accidents has been part of the human experience since the beginning of mankind. The term accident, with its fatalistic implication of bad luck, is now called unintentional injury and is recognized as a major public health issue. The terminology reflects a complete change in how societies, institutions, families, and individuals can approach injuries as diseases that can be treated as well as prevented. Prevention measures can diminish the potentially devastating effects of unintentional injuries on families.

Traditionally restricted to traumatic injuries, lethal unintentional injuries include poisoning, strangulation, suffocation, drowning, and burns. In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that unintentional injury was the leading cause of all deaths in the United States for the ages 1 to 44 years. ...